Coke oven



Sept 8, 1931 c. H. HUGHES 1,822,699

COKE OVEN Filed June 18, 1926 5 sheets-sheen 1 Sept- 8, 1931 c. H. HUGHES 1,822,699

COKE OVEN Filed June 18, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 :Q V FH rq R. R1

A TTORNEYS c. H. HUGHES 1,822,699

COKE OVEN Filed June 18, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet .'5

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Patented sept. s; 1931 UNITEDSTATESPATENT OFFICE CHARLES H. HUGHES, OF HACKENSCK, NEW JERSEY, ASISIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, '10 SEMET-SOLVAY ENGINEERING CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A

COKE OVEN' Application led June 18, 1926, Serial No. 116,764, and in Canada June 19, 1925.

This invention relates to by-product coke ovens, particularly ovens of the horizontal flue type with regenerato'rs individual to, and parallel with, each oven of the block -or battery. In ovens of this character as constructed hitherto, it has been considered necessary, in order to maintain proper heat conditions in thelioor of the oven, to interpose so-called sole flues directly beneath the i-1001's of the several oven chambers,'and to .floor of the oven.

cause the entire body of the hot spent gas from the heating ues on their way to the regenerators, as well as the entire body of all of the air which had passed through the regenerators on their Way to the heating flues, to travel through these sole iues in a direction parallel to the flow of gas through the heating flues and during such travel to give up heat to the floor of the oven. These sole iiues thus form a heat abstractingconnection between the heating flues located at the sides of the division walls of the oven chambers, and the regenerators in which the air was heated before it was mixed with fuel in the heating flues to support combustion. 'Heat taken up by the lateral walls of the sole fines was dissipated through the masonry and the only point of effective heat transfer in the sole iues was through the necessary to support the proper temperatures in the oven iioor is abstracted, notfrom gases travelling through any sole iue, but from a gas space which is directly associated with and located in the interior of the upper part of the regenerators and which is in direct ,thermal communication with the underside of the floor of the oven, while the gas connection between the regenerators and the Ovens of this character,

for the customary sole lues, certain important advantages are obtained, as will be set forth in detail hereinafter.

According to this invention the incoming" air from the regenerators of a Toy-product coke oven having horizontal zigzag heating flues in the heating walls thereof, regenerator sets beneath the oven, and means for reversing the gas flow through the respective regenerator sets and heating flues, is led directly and without rst passing it through a sole iiue intothe air inlet ports of the flue system whilst the products of combustion from the flue system are led, without iirst passing them through a sole flue, into their' regenerators, whereby, irrespective of the direction of flow of the gas or which set of regenerators is -used as the preheating set, the gases entering and leaving the iue system will always travel in a direct path, free rom sole flue-conduits, into or outof the Hue system and into and out of the associated regenerators. At the same time the proper thermal Conditions are maintained in the Hoor of each oven bythe heat which is .transferred to the underside of said floor from gases accumulating in the upper part of the regenerator chambers:

A typical' and satisfactory example of my present invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a longitudinal section taken through one of the heating chambers ofthe oven, and in line 1--1 lof Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line 2- 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 8 is a crosssection one line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. et is a diagrammatic view showing the circulation system. l

The oven illustrated operates with the well-known periodical reversal of iiow, and

flues, and thus, dlspensing with and obviatlng the necessity' embodies the usual adjuncts (valves, etc.) l

for eifecting this reversal; these parts, being Well known, have not been indicated in the of said regenerators being relatively narrow in width and deep in height. The roof of the set of regenerators is formed by the Hoor of the oven which is constructed of masonry supported by corbeling of like material as shown in Fig. 2 and which, as previously explained, is such that it will enable the heat -from the regenerators to be transferred through the said oven Hoor to the charge in the interior of the oven under maintenance of proper thermal conditions in the oven Hoor. At the end of the lower horizontal member of each zi za Hue C it opens directly through port C without the interposition of any sole Hue) into the regenerator The upper horizontal member of each zigzag heating Hue C is connected by a riser F or F2, located at the other end of the oven, with the regenerator port C2 of regenerator E4. The risers F lead from their respective regenerators E4 to the heating Hues on two sides of one of the oven chambers, while the risers F2 lead ,to the heating Hues on the sides of the adjacent oven chambers. Thus, from each regenerator there are established connections leading to and from both of the two zigzag Hue .series on each side of the oven chamber.

It is to be noted that the connection between the regenerators and the heating Hues in entirely a direct connection. By a direct connection I mean one which so connects the regenerators with the Hue systems that all the eH'ective heat given 0H' by the entire Hue systems connected with the ports of the respective regenerators is imparted wholly through those walls of the heating Hue system C- which are adjacent to the coking chambers A'laterally of the coking material in the chambers A, and not in part through a sole Hue, the necessary heat for the Hoor of the oven being transmitted from the upper open portion of the regenerators E', E2, E3 and E". This is in sharp contrast to the structural arrangement of older ovens such as shown, for instance, in my former Patent No. 1,055,536 of March 11, 1913, or

the King Patent No. 970,720 of September 20, 1910, wherein between the wall Hue systems and the regenerators proper the gases were always forced to travel through a special Hue called the sole Hue. This Hue was a channel formed in heavy ymasonry and positioned directly under the AHoor of the oven, and thus presented a refractory masonry barrier and a Hue space between the checkerbrick of the regeneratorand the Hoor of the coke oven. With this old constructipn the heat radiated upwardly from the checkerbrick lof the regenerators was absorbed and largely dissipated in the masonry and thus was never able to participate effectively in the heating of the Hoor of the oven or the charge in the coking chamber. By my new construction not only were these defects of the prior structures remedied, but wholly new and valuable effects were obtained. In other Words, when the entering air has acquired its maximum temperature in the regenerator, it does not thereafter have to give upa substantial part of its thus acquired .heat to the Walls of the sole Hue, but passes directly and without diminution of the maximum heat acquired by it in passing through the re enerators, into the heating Hue system an vice versa, the hotproducts of combustion from the heating Hue system pass directly into the regenerators, retaining the whole of their heat in so doing and without being compelled to give up an appreciable part of their heat to the walls of a sole Hue beneath the oven chamber before entering the regenerators. The connections of the heating Hues C and of the risers F',

F2 with the regenerators E4 are made near the outer upper corners of these regenerators and lower than the uppermost part of the gas space at the top of said regenerators and in opposed relation with respect to each other, so that the gases from the heating Hues will enter the regenerators as diametrically opposed streams. These streams impinge `againstl each other and coalesce into one body of gas which Hlls the entire upper portion and cross-section of the regenerator and then travels in a downward direction and thus utilizes all of theheat-receiving capacity of the regenerator. At the opposite corners (that is, the inner lower corners) these regenerators are connected with channels G', G2 (formed by baHles S) respectively, the upper ends of which are in turn connected with the upper portions of inner regenerators E2, E3 respectively, thus forming a sinuous sheet-like passage from the outer to the inner regenerators, or vice versa. The dimensions of this passage are somewhat larger than the aggregate dimensions of the ports or channels which connect lthe Hues and the regenerators, but smaller than the aggregate dimensions of the air inlet (or gas outlet) ducts at the bottom of regenerators E2 and E3. By this'arrangement the How of incoming air is gradually accelerated while the How of the out-going products of combustion is gradually diminished. The bottom of regenerators E2 and E3 have openings which communicate with the upper portions of passages H2, H3 respectively, said passages H2 and H3 extending transversely of the coking chambers, under the regenerators. By having the lower ends of the channels G, G2 connected with the regenerators E', E4 at the corners diagonally opposite to those at which' said regenerators are connected with the heating flues C, I secure a proper and effective flow of the combustion gases or of the air through said regenerators.

-lines and dotted lines.

The flow of the combustion gases from the heating liues to the regenerators (whether the flow takes place through the risers F or F2, or through the direct connections C) always takes place so that the streams of gases impinge against each other and form a body of gas which completely ills the regenerator chamber and spreads over all'of the checkerbricks in the regenerator.

The passages H2, H2 communicate by openings J, J with adjacent passageways H', H4 respectively, extending parallel to the passages H2, H2. One end of this system H', H2, H2. H1 has avstack connection controlled by dampers or other suitable means functioning as valves. Air inlets likewise controlled by dampers or valves are alsov provided in this system H', H2, H3, H4 at appropriate points. The aforesaid dampers or valves are indicated in Fig. 4 by the legend valve. Alternative positions are indicated for each valve by the use of solid The solid lines indicate the position of the various valves with respect to the conduits controlled by them when the gas and air flow is in one direction, whereas the dotted lines indicate the position of the valves when the gas and air flow is reversed.

During one period of operation, the dampers are so adjusted (this being the position shown in Fig. 4) that air will enter, as indicated by the full arrows shown in Fig. 4, the passages ,H2, J, H and pass upwardly through the inner regenerators E2, downwardly in the channels 4 G', upwardly through the outer regenerators E, the air thus heated by contact with the hot checkerbrick of the regenerators E2, E being con- A veyed directly to lower ends of the zigzag heating fines C. In these flues, combustion takes place, and the resulting gases pass from the upper ends of the ilues C downwardly through the risers F', F2 tothe upper portions of the outer regenerators E4. The hot gases, as indicated by the full arrows shown in' Fi 4, traverse these regeneratorsV downwar ly, and then pass up through the channels G2 to the upper ends of the inner regenerators E2, through which they flow downwardly `through the system H2, J', H4 to the waste gas stack. The

streams of hot gases iowing from the risers to aregeneratr come together in the upper the checkerbricks with a hot gas cushion and to cause the gases iowing through the said regenerator to spread the film about substantially all of the checkerbricks contained therein. In this manner the hot gases pass directly from the heating flues to each regenerator at approximately the temperature prevalent in the lowermost heating flue, and give up ,substantially all of their transferable leat to the regenerators due to the long path through them -and to the large amount of active' heat-receiving surface therein. Moreover, as the mass of gas Apasses over the top of G2 into the upper part of regenerator E3, 'it films out and makes an intimate thermal contact with the underside of the oven floor before passing through the checkerbrick of E2. The cold air, on the other hand, flowing from passageway H2 through regenerators E2 and E does not chill the oven floor. 'Apparently the combinedefect of the heat retained by the masonry surrounding the base of the oven and the insulating cushion of hot gas adjacent to the underside of the -oven floor protects the latter thermally, so that a coking temperature is always maintained'throughout and including the intermediate portions of ing to the omission of the sole i'lues generally employed heretofore, the construction is simplified, and its cost reduced. The space formerly occupied by the sole flues is utilized for the upper portion of the regenerators, and in actual practice it has been found that the bottom of the oven can in this way be maintained at the required temperature,

-notwithstanding the absence of sole flues.

Sole flue construction requires special and expensive refractory materials'and intricacy of construction, whereas in the present invention the lower part of the coke chamber structure may be constituted of less experi-J2e sive material and is structurally very much simplified. Elimination of these flues also means a decrease in the height of the battery and in the total length of the flue system through which the combustion gases (and the air) travel, and a'relative increase in that portion of the Hue system which serves as the active heatingv portion. increased heatin eiiiciency. thus obtained decreases the coking time and the fuel con- The u sumption, thereby reducing the operating cost. The shortening of the iue system also decreases the total resistance to the gas flow. and this reduced resistance requires a much smaller chimney to meet the draft require ments than is required according to present coke oven practice, and in one instance, for example, I have found that I was able to obtain the proper draft with a chimney 25 feet lower than that which would have been necessary but for the incorporation in the coke oven of the principles of the present invention.

My invention. enables me to employ an odd number of horizontal flue members, say one less than was usually employed hitherto (for instance five instead of six), which effects a decrease in the total length of the flue system anda relative increase in the active heating surface of the oven wall.

Although my invention has been illustrated in connection with a battery of ovens having independent heating fluesystems in each Wall of each oven, it is obvious that the invention is applicable to ovens having modified heating flue systems,`such for example as ovens with cross-over passages connecting the uppermost of the heating Hue passes either between adjacent coking chambers or over the top of each coking chamber. In such cases the direct connection between whatever type of horizontal heating flue system is used will be made with the proper regenerators at the appropriate terminals of the heating flue system, although in other respects the structure and operation of the ovens remains the same.-

Various other modifications may be made without departing from the nature of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. A by-product coke oven battery comprising a series of alternate horizontal coking chambers and heating walls therefor arranged side by side in a row, each of said walls comprising a flue system containing zigzag, series-connected, superposed, combustion fiues extending horizontally, laterally, and at least from end to end of each coking charnber, regenerators located befneath the coking chambers, the said regenerators having ports therein connected by direct upwardly extending communicating connections with the extreme ends of said combustion flue systems at opposite ends of the coking chambers and passages extending longitudinally of the oven battery and transversely to said coking chambers and beneath the regenerators, the said passages communicably connecting with the lower portions of theregenerators and with a waste gas stack respectively.

2. A by-product coke oven battery comprising a series of alternate horizontal coking chambers and heating walls therefor arranged side by side in a row, each of the walls comprising a flue system containing zigzag, series-connected, superposed combustlon flues extending horizontally, laterally and at least from end to end of the coking c said passages communicably connecting rel spectively with the lower portions of the regenerators and with a waste gas stack, and valves controlling said last named passages to periodically alter the direction of flow of the entering air and the exit products of combustion through the iues and regenerators. Y

3. A by-product coke oven battery comprising a series of alternatehorizontal coking-chambers and heating walls therefor arranged side by side in a row, each of the heating walls comprising a Hue system containing zigzag, series-connected, superposed combustion flues extending horizontally laterally and at least from end to end of each of the coking chambers, regenerators located beneath the coking chambers, outer portions of the regenerators being located at the outer portions ofthe chambers and having ports at the opposite ends of the chambers in direct communicating connection with the extreme ends of the combustion flue systems, inner portions of said regenerators being located beneath the chambers and communicably connected with the outer regenerator portions at the lower parts thereof, passages located below the regenerators and communicably connecting with the inner portions of said regenerators and havin provision respectively for the admission o air to said inner regenerator portions and for conveying combustion gases from said inner regeneratorlportions to a waste gas stack.

4. A by-product coke oven battery comprising a series of alternate horizontal coking chambers and havingfwalls therefor arranged side by side in a row, each of said heating walls comprising a flue system containing zigzag, series-connected, superposed combustion flues extending horizontall laterally and at least from end to end o each of the coking chambers, regenerators located immediately beneath the floor of each coking chamber and having a gas space at the upper part of eachregenerator in direct heat-exchange relation with the underside' of the coking chamber Hoor located thereabove, di rect connections of a vertical character between and communicatin with each re enerator and at least one o the terminal said direct connections being so'. located `as to enter the regenerator near the top thereof I at a level lower than the uppermost part of said gas space.

5'. A by-product coke oven battery comprising a series of alternate horizontal coking chambers and heating walls therefor arranged side by side in a row, each of said heating walls comprising a Hue system containing zigzag, series-connected, superposed, combustion Hues extending horizontally, laterally, and at least from end to end of each of thecoking chambers, regenerators located immediately beneath the Hoor of each coking chamber and having a gas space at the upper part of each regenerator in direct heat-exchange relation `with the underside of the coking chamber Hoor located thereabove, di-

rect Substantially vertically extending communicating connections between each regenerator and at least one of the terminal flues of each of two of the flue systems, and two staggered spaced baHles for dividing each A regenerator transversely of the coking chamber above it into a plurality of sections, the baiiles being constituted of walls, one of which, nearer tothe communicating connection between the regenerators and the Hue systems, being closedv at the top and open at the bottom, while the other is open at the top and closed at the bottom, whereby a sinuous gas passage is established between the sections of the regenerator.

6. In a battery of by-product coke ovens, the combination of a series of alternate horizontally elongated coking chambers and heating walls therefor arranged side by side in a row, each of said heating walls comprising a Hue system containing zigzag, series-connected, superposed combustion flues, two pairs of narrow, deep regenerator compartments beneath each coling chamber and in direct heat-exchange relation with the4 bottom of each coking chamber, substantially throughout its extent, each pair of said regenerator compartments comprising an outer and i-nner section and two staggered adjacent baHles between the sections, each baille providing a wall for one of said sections, the two baffles of each pair 4being so arranged as to provide a sinuous passage between the adjacent sections and a passage leading at each side of each outer regenera- 4tor section, 1ear the top thereof, from and into the Hue systems on eachside of one of the coking chambers.

7. In a battery of by-product coke ovens the combination comprising a series of alternate horizontal coking chambers and heating walls therefor arranged laterally of each other in a row, a charge-su porting Hoor for each coking chamber, a ue system located within each side of each wall laterally ofeach coking chamber constituted of a series of horizontal, superposed, zigzag, series-connected Hues, each extending the full length of the heating walls, the lowest horiv gas space being adapted for substantial flow of heat into the coking chamber thereabove through 'the floor thereof, and communica'- ting connections for establishing a direct How between the terminals of the horizontal Hue systems and ends of the open gas spaces ontiguous' to the ends of the coking chamers.

8. The by-product coke oven as set forth 'inclaim 7, in which the connections last mentioned in the said claim are respectively adapted to feed heated air into or to withdraw products of combustion from the terminal Hues of two of the heating systems into or from the re enerator compartments.

9. In a battery 0% by-product coke ovens, the lcombination comprising a series of alternate coking chambers and heating Walls therefor arranged laterally of each other in a row, a charge-supporting Hoor for each coking chamber, eachk heating wall comprisinga Hue system cdntaining horizontal, superposed, zigzag, combustion Hues extending horizontally the full length of the chamber walls, the lowest horizontal flue of the Hue systems lying laterally of the coking chambers, regenerators extending underneath the Hoor of the coking chamber from one end to the other end thereof, the upper part of each regenerator defining an unobstructed gas space bounded above by the lower surface of the oven Hoor, below by the upper surface of the regenerator checkerbrick, and laterally by the walls of the regenerator, said gas space being adapted for substantial How of heat into the coking chamber thereabove through the floor thereof, and substantially vertical communicating connections for establishing a direct gas How between the terminals of the horizontal flue systems and ends of the open gas spaces contiguous to the ends of the coking chambers.

10. The by-product coke oven construction as set forth inclaim 9, in which oneV of the connections last mentioned in the said claim is in the form of a substantially vertical riser connecting a regenerator with the uppermost Hue of a heating Hue system, said z rlser being situated between `two of the heating-Hue systems lof vadjacent coking which the uppermost and lowermost mem- .bers of the Hue systems are communicably connected with the open gas spaces of the regenerators by substantially vertical ducts.

12. A coke oven of the character set forth in claim 9 in which the heating Hue systems include Hve horizontal combustion Hues.

13. A by-product coke oven battery comprising a series of alternate horizontal coking chambers and heating walls therefor, arranged laterally of each other in a row, each of said heating walls comprising a Hue system on opposite sides thereof containing zigzag, series-connected, superposed combustion Hues extending horizontally of and at least from one end to the other end of each of the coking chambers, regenerators located immediately beneath the Hoor of each coking chamber and having a gas space at the upper part of each regenerator in direct heat-exchange relation with the underside of the coking Vchamber Hoor located thereabove, bafHes in each regenerator section, and a substantially vertical duct communicably connecting each of those sections nearest to the sides of the battery` and one of the terminal combustion Hues of each of two of the Hue systems, said duct being so located as to enter the section near the top thereof at a level lower than the uppermost part of the upper gas space in the regenerator section, passages extending longitudinally of the oven block and beneath the regenerators, the said passages connecting respectively with the lower portions of the regenerators and with a waste gas stack, and valves controlling said last named passages to periodically alter the direction ofHow of the entering air and the exit products of combustion through the Hues and regenerators.

14. In a battery of by-product coke ovens comprisinga series of alternate horizontal coking chambers and heating walls therefor arranged laterally of each other in a row, each of said heating walls comprising a Hue system containing zigzag, series-connected, superposed, combustion Hues extending horizontally from end to end of the coking chamber, regenerator chambers immediately beneath eachof the coking chambers communicably connected to the Hue systems, and means for reversing gas How through the respective regenerator chambers and heating y Hue systems, that improvement which comprises an upwardly extending passage `for leading air from some of the regenerator chambers directly into the air inlet ports of the Hue systems, and an upwardly extending passage for leading the products of combustion from the Hue systems directly into the other regenerators. I i

15. In a battery of by-product coke ovens, the combination comprising a series of alteru nate horizontal coking chambers and heating walls therefor arranged laterally of each other in a row, a charge-supporting Hoor for each coking chamber, a Hue system located within each side of each wall laterally of each coking chamber, constituted of a series of horizontal, super osed, zigzag, series-connected, combustion ues, each extending substantially the full length of the heating walls, regenerators positioned immediately underneath the charge-supporting Hoor of the coking chambers from one end g toV the other end thereof, and direct upwardly extending communicating connections between the regenerators and the terminal horizontal Hues of the Hue systems.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y CHARLES H. HUGHES.

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION. Patent No. 1,822,699. n Granted September 8, 1931, to

CHARLES H. HUGHES. I

It is hereby certified that error appears in .the printed specification oi the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page, line 69, for. the article "the" read and; page 4, line 113, claim 4 for "having" read heating; and Athat the said ALetters Patent should'be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 3rd day of November, A. D. 1931.

y M. J`. Moore, (Seal) Y Acting'Commissioner of Patents. 

